The present disclosure is directed to a frame for a drawer.
DE 10 2010 060 722 A1 disclosesa frame having a connecting fitting which is mounted with a base section on a frame adapter of a drawer frame or formed thereon. A release lever that can be operated manually is hinged to a locking lever and to the base section and extends into a free space in the frame adapter so that it can be operated manually by a user in the free space. The frame has proven itself well in practice, but requires a relatively large construction width.
The present disclosure is directed to a frame having a relatively slim design and inner and outer shells, wherein the inner shell and the outer shell may be shifted with respect to each other by simple means. the present disclosure also is directed to a drawer for a piece of furniture with one or more frames
In an embodiment, a frame for a drawer comprises an outer shell and an inner shell, wherein the outer shell and the inner shell are guided displaceably relative to one another by at least two sliding guides, and wherein at least one of the at least two sliding guides comprises one or more guide elements arranged between the outer shell and the inner shell.
This makes it possible to easily design sliding guides between an inner shell and an outer shell that are adapted to the respective design conditions. For example, on inner and outer steel shells, sliding guides cannot be formed directly between the inner and outer shells, or only with great design effort. This problem is solved by the guide elements provided on the respective sliding guide. It is advantageous to attach the guide elements to the inner shell or the outer shell, for example, releasably, so that the corresponding component outer shell or inner shell can slide along them.
The frame may have a type of elongated shell-type housing at least with an outer shell and an inner shell, between which a cavity is formed which is thus easily accessible.
The term “sliding guide” means that a first element is slidably guided on a second element and slides directly or indirectly on the second element. The sliding guide can, for example, be formed by a web of an element which slides on two or three sides, for example in a corner area or in a guide groove of a corresponding element. The guide groove can be formed directly in the inner or outer shell or in another guide element attached to it.
In an embodiment, the at least two sliding guides provide a linearly limited displacement of the outer shell relative to the inner shell, which may be sufficient to allow sufficient access to the interior space between the inner shell and the outer shell.
In an embodiment, the outer shell and/or the inner shell may beformed from one or more steel elements, for example, steel sheets. In other embodiments, the inner and outer shells may be made of other materials, such as light metal, for example, aluminum. Unlike extruded profiles, webs or grooves cannot be easily formed on steel sheets. Accordingly, such features may be provided by the guide elements.
In order to realize good sliding properties and to provide the guide elements with suitable geometry and shape in a simple way, the guide elements may be made of plastic.
In an embodiment, one of the sliding guides is designed as an upper sliding guide and at least one other of the sliding guides is designed as at least one lower sliding guide between the inner shell and the outer shell, wherein at least the upper sliding guide and/or the at least one lower sliding guides each have one or more of the guide elements arranged between the outer shell and the inner shell. In this case, the terms “lower” and “upper” refer to a vertical direction in an installation position of the frame on a drawer to a lower installation position closer to the drawer bottom and to an upper installation position further away from this drawer bottom.
in an embodiment, the guide elements are each arranged in a receiving channel formed between the inner shell and the outer shell. The receiving channel may be formed by at least three or four walls, wherein at least one wall projects above the guide elements in its height. Two walls extending almost parallel to each other in vertical alignment with the drawer bottom may have the same height. In this way, the guide elements are well protected and are visually concealed (with regard to the position of use of the drawer with a frame on a piece of furniture according to the invention) from the outer shell and the inner shell in the respective receiving channel.                In an embodiment, two of the walls of at least one receiving channel are formed by the inner shell and if one of the walls of the receiving channel is formed by the outer shell. The upper guide elements may be attached to the inner shell so that the outer shell is guided by the upper guide elements.        
in an embodiment, each of the guide elements may be fastened to the inner shell or to the outer shell and if the corresponding element—the outer shell or the inner shell—has a guide groove which corresponds to the guide element and in the area of which the outer shell or the inner shell is slidably guided on the guide element or elements.
In an embodiment, the frame has two different lower sliding guides between the inner shell and the outer shell, and both of the lower sliding guides each have one or more of the guide elements arranged between the outer shell and the inner shell. In this way, limited mobility can be achieved in the lower area between the inner shell and the outer shell, which is sufficient to allow access to functional elements in the interior space between the inner shell and the outer shell. In addition, it is thus possible to position the outer shell and the inner shell very precisely relative to each other.
in an embodiment, the guide elements of each of the sliding guides maybe fastened to the inner shell and/or to the outer shell.
In an embodiment, the guide elements engage displaceably in a guide groove of the respectively corresponding element of the outer shell or inner shell.
In an embodiment, at least two different types of upper guide elements may be provided for the upper sliding guide, which can be interchangeably attached to the inner or outer shell. For example, by replacing the guide elements and, for example, one of the shells, especially the outer shell, different variants of frames can easily be produced in order to produce different variants or also to enable a frame to be retrofitted.
in an embodiment, one or more sliding and/or positioning means for fastening and/or positioning a top element are formed on one or more of the upper guide elements. In this way at least one upper guide element may perform multiple functions, e.g. for arranging at least one angular element.
For example, sliding guide means may be provided on one or more of the upper guide elements, on which a cover strip with corresponding sliding guide means is slidably guided. The upper guide elements may thus be used both for the function of the sliding guide between the inner and outer shell and for the realization of other frame variants with a cover strip, with which, for example, other colors or shapes can be realized on the frame.
In an embodiment, sliding guide means may be formed on the upper guide elements, on which the cover strip is slidably guided with corresponding sliding guide means. In this way, two sliding guides are formed simultaneously on the upper guide rails. On the one hand this is the sliding guide between the inner and outer shell and on the other hand it is a sliding guide for the cover strip relative to one of the elements inner and outer shell.
In an embodiment, the sliding guide means may form a tongue-and-groove sliding guide in their interaction.
In an embodiment, two different types of lower guide elements may be distributed between the inner shell and the outer shell on at least one lower sliding guide or on the two lower sliding guides, one of which is associated with the first lower sliding guide and the other of which is associated with the second lower sliding guide. In such an embodiment, various additional functionalities can be realized with the different types of guide elements.
In an embodiment, at least one type of lower guide means may be arranged in front and/or rear end regions of the frame between the inner shell and the outer shell in each case, in order to guide the inner shell and the outer shell well in these two regions as well and preferably to keep them at a relatively precise distance and to secure them in the end regions of the frame against being pulled apart beyond the designed displacement path.
In this respect, one type of the lower guide element may be fixed to the inner shell and slidably guided directly or indirectly on the outer shell and the other type of lower guide element may be fixed to the outer shell and slidably guided directly or indirectly on the inner shell.
With regard to the assembly of the guide elements, at least some of the lower and/or upper guide elements may be fixed to the inner shell or the outer shell in a latching manner.
The first type of lower sliding guide means can be fixed to the inner shell or to the outer shell, for example, by a joining forming process. The sliding guides can also be used to make it easier to assemble the frame and to hold one shell to the other in a simple way. This type of fastening can be achieved easily and without additional components in a confined space, so that the use of the joining forming process as a suitable manufacturing process opens up a possibility for reducing the overall width of the frame.
The upper and lower guide elements can be identical or different in design.
In an embodiment, the upper and/or lower guide elements as a whole may be attached to the inner or outer shell. In other embodiments, some of the guide elements may be fixed to the inner shell and some of the guide elements may be fixed to the outer shell.
In an embodiment, frames can be realized in which the inner and/or outer shell, preferably made of sheet steel, together form an essentially rectangular body with a maximum width B3 of less than 15 mm.